Heroes are people who do ordinary things-- care for the poor, speak the truth, reject evil, love God-- to an extraordinary degree. These men and women are so possessed by an internal vision of divine goodness that they give us a glimpse of the face of God in the center of the human. They give us a taste of the possibilities of the greatness in ourselves. Throughout history these heroes-- lay and religious, male and female, Christian and non-Christian-- have stretched the very soul of humanity. These are figures gleaming in their holy causes who have lived in circumstances similar to ours and have shown us how to live with character, with courage, with passion for the right, the true, the holy. They hold a fire in their hearts bright enough to light the way for many. They stand on gilded stilts above the rest of their generation and become a sign for all generations. They are proof of possibility from ages past and a symbol of hope for ages yet to come. Their lives provoke and prod a critical measure of our own until it becomes clear that sanctity is simply a matter of living for the reign of God with conscience, with voice, and with authenticity now. —from A Fire in Their Hearts: 2016 Joan Chittister Calendar. Image: KONSTANTIN AKIMOV iStock
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"His father asked me: "Can you please baptise him?". I was caught in surprise because that was actually the only thing I was really able to do. I did not hesitate, I took some water in my hands and after praying with his father and the Sisters, I baptized JP. It was a very moving moment and my heart quietly shouted to God: he's not only your creature now, he's your son! Please have mercy..." I wish to share a beautiful story of a child (J.P.) On Saturday, Sept 12, day of the Holy name of Mary I went with Fr. Rick to do clinics at St. Joseph's with the Sisters of Charity, commonly known as the Sisters of Mother Theresa. As usual, when we go to the slum areas, we go by motorbike so to easily make it through traffic. But in this area even the motorbikes have a hard time to get through as the church is in Croix des Bossales, nowadays a street market where people sell their crops occupying every inch of the street in such a way that if you throw a needle in the air it will never touch the ground on its way down! During the French Colony, this market place was also occupied by people, but who where unfortunately sold as slaves. It used to be the slave market. |
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